Facing the soldiers surging toward him like a tide, the polite smile at the corner of Lafitte's lips did not change, though its curve grew increasingly Ice-cold.
With a light tap of his foot, he shot backward, narrowly dodging several spears thrust straight at him.
Before the soldiers' astonished eyes, his arms abruptly transformed into a pair of snow-white wings!
With a beat of those wings, he kicked up clouds of dust from the ground, and Lafitte instantly rose into the air, hovering lightly overhead.
"Don't panic!"
Though startled, the commander remained composed and shouted,
"He's merely a Devil Fruit user who can fly! Archers! Loose your arrows!"
The well-trained soldiers swiftly changed formation. The archers in the rear put away their melee weapons and drew their bows.
With a hum of vibrating bowstrings, a dense volley of arrows shot toward Lafitte like a swarm of locusts, their piercing whistles tearing at the ears.
Lafitte appeared utterly at ease.
His arms returned to normal as he gracefully swung the cane that seemed more ornamental than practical. The cane's shadow whirled through the air, precisely knocking aside every arrow that came near him, his movements as fluid as a waltz.
At the same time, his free left hand had somehow produced an exquisitely crafted flintlock pistol.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The gunshots rang out sharply as bullets whistled through the air.
"Raise shields!"
The commander immediately gave the order.
The shieldbearers in the front row promptly raised their heavy iron-rimmed wooden shields, forming an impenetrable shield wall.
Yet the bullets fired by Lafitte seemed to possess lives of their own. They traced bizarre arcs through the air, curving around the sturdy shields and slipping into the bodies of soldiers behind the gaps from unexpected angles.
"Argh!"
"Gah!"
Screams rose one after another